Welcome To The Rileys: A review

Hypothetically answering, what would you do if your spouse decided to put headstones on your cemetery plot with your names on them and you were still alive? Welcome to the Rileys is a film that manages to create questions through a slow paced, carefully crafted narrative using characters who don't require a complete understanding. It isn't often that a film can take stock characters, familiar everyday people and make them compelling without adding in elements of the absurd. I don't mean absurd in the style of Beckett... Then again maybe I do.

When I think about family narratives, they are generally poorly, melodramatic Lifetime movies that are driven by the visual depiction of drama. A person dies tragically, is injured, or abused and the viewer is shown these images and instead of being led into the disentagration of family, the viewer is thrown headfirst into the emotional baggage of the characters forcing an emotional response. The only movie that I can speak of in terms of Black film where the death of a child is the center of the rise in action is Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married and that was with the characters played by Malik Yoba and Janet Jackson. The story line there presented a unique opportunity to establish a movie that could have been very similar to Welcome to the Rileys, but Perry dealt with that complicated storyline like Blacks couldn't handle a slowly drawn narrative of discovery.

Night Catches Us: a review

On January 1st, I dropped a trailer for the film Night Catches Us. I didn't know a lot about the film but I knew that Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie were the lead actors and to me this meant that it was a movie worth my time. I had generally forgotten about the film since then, until it showed up in our Instant Watch on Netflix.

Night Catches Us is the feature film debut of Tanya Hamilton who wrote and directed the movie. In the easiest description of the film Marcus (Anthony Mackie) returns to Philadelphia where he was a member of the Black Panther Party. Patricia (Kerry Washington) another former Panther still remains in the same neighborhood where a tragic situation has created in her the need to carry on the programs created by the Panthers, although the BPP is no longer in the position of influence it held.

Hamilton uses an artistic lens to capture Philadelphia and the film is more like a study of the neighborhood for photography and videography. The images of the Philly streets are often captured with the street signs in the background, or buildings or abandoned lots, trash strewn streets, in contrast to the images she captures of children playing and people walking from neighborhood stores. Every shot involves a character, in thought, standing face to face with someone or something that seems to be eroding. The score by the Roots recreates a seventies sound without sounding antiquated. Overall the movie is beautifully crafted and at 1hour and 30 minutes the scenes shift and move quickly, which isn't jarring, but does create questions.

Although the imagery and quality is incredible I could only give the film 3 out of 5 stars. It was not due to the acting, which held together a script that had more potential than follow through. The acting was powerful and Mackie and Washington lend credibility to their roles and depth to lines that lack the needed development to really grasp the time. The Black Panther Party has appeared in film often and there has yet to be a portrayal that has really defined what the Panthers did and how important they are to history. Hamilton does use actual footage of the Death of Fred Hampton and archival footage of the Panthers and their food programs and of course the shots of Bobby Seale and the chants are always there lingering at moments of confusion, but the story is rushed and some plot points are established but not given enough clarity. Black Thought (Tariq Trotter of the The Roots) plays Marcus' brother Bos, a Muslim who is only utilized in a few scenes, but his voice and the visual depiction of him in his all black clothing and his relationship with his brother could have been a stronger storyline.

What Night Catches Us does do very well is to capture the confusion of the 70s and this makes the film worth watching. The 70s saw the removal of certain political and social walls for Blacks. It seemed that the advancements of the Civil Rights movement had actually given Blacks some status, but the actual facts were that the Black neighborhood became more fractured and the Panthers' role in the neighborhood, became unstable due to government (national and local) forces that infiltrated and corrupted the organization. This destruction of the people from the inside out, left a whole generation with the ideals of the Panthers, but without the foundation. In other words the destruction of the Panthers created the current state in Black America: People who are unaware of the damage controlled media images and broken homes create in the community. This is given incredible power in one scene with the character Jimmy (Patricia's brother) who is a young man searching for an identity in a world that is not ready to accept him as a man and a world that does not want to explain to him the past.

While somewhat predictable, with stock characters, Night Catches Us is a solid film that should be watched because it is important and entertaining.

Here is the link to the trailer here on CB Publishing.

The website for the film can be found by visiting http://www.nightcatchesus.com/

Get To Know: In Honor of Gil Scott Heron

I wrote this paper while I was enrolled as an undergrad at San Diego State University. I did not edit this in any way. I felt compelled to post this because people will allow Gil Scott's death to go uncelebrated, and unrecognized. I hope they won't. I won't because his death diminshes my creative world, but in his own words of Guan Guanco, we are born to discover ourselves and in doing so we have our rebirth and regeneration. Gil Scott is now among the ancestors and within all of us we carry his spirit and by sharing we keep him alive. This is long so come back to it if you have to. Chris B.

The Words of a Modern-Day Jali

(Gil Scott-Heron’s Influences, Social Commentary and his Affect on the Hip-Hop and Spoken Word Community)

I stood with the others along the shimmering coast as waves pushed loose sand from troughs and carried rocks onto the shore. We had awaited the call of the Atumpan for several days waited for the master drummer to tell of us any impending danger. Each day seemed longer than before. Our chieftain had informed us that we did not have the weapons to match the gunpowder that the British men carried. To calm us he asked everyone to listen to the sound of the talking drum. After listening he then told us that this was our advantage. I failed to understand. The Atumpan gives us notice, we see the enemy through the words of the drum, he explained. After waiting for close to five days for the White men to arrive the warriors began to finish the tasks of moving baskets of yams too heavy for the women and children to carry.

It was early, quiet. The sun made long shadows of trees on the shore. The waves echoed the warning from the Atumpan that the White men had returned and would be arriving with guns and various weapons, I felt my chest tighten. The women and children ran to safety. I prepared along with the others for what was about to occur. The speed of the drumming carried over the water faster, with more urgency. I felt fear. I asked my chieftain if the drums were wrong. In his heavy raspy words he informed me that the drums were never wrong. We all moved from the shore in accordance with the call from Atsimewu and prepared for battle. Atsimewu sounded They are here, they are here.

Why We Homeschool: A Response to Wendy Thomas and the Commercial Appeal

Okay, I have hesitated to comment on this homeschool athletics situation on the CA(Commercial Appeal) that has led to a lot of misconceptions/perceptions based on the opinion of people who haven't homeschooled their children and have probably never been involved in the educational system. I think my voice is a good measuring stick for the reality of homeschool. I won't hide behind screen names to write this.

My name is Christopher D. Burns. Look it up, google, bing, whatever. I have been an educator since 1995. First in San Diego, in Tennessee and in Mississippi. I have taught at both the high school level and collegiate level (as a tenure track professor and an adjunct). My wife and I decided to home school our son not because of religious reasons. I am not of any religion; I am spiritual, but my point is our decision was based on a few factors outside of religion. Anyone interested in knowing in detail what they are e-mail me (CA this is your chance to interview someone). Our son, at 3 years old could read and memorize poetry. He has memorized the I Have A Dream Speech and countless other poems and speeches in his homeschool curriculum. I bring this up to say at 7 years old, when he was in the second grade we encountered the worst teacher a kid could have. In the second grade he was reading at an 6th grade level, but the teacher was teaching other students at the 1st grade level.

Because I'm PREGNANT

Congratulations! It's a....dream?

One of my guilty pleasures is watching MTV's 16 & Pregnant. You've seen it right? It always start with the girl giving background details of her life. She talks about where she's from, her family, and then she talks about how things have changed with the panning of the camera to a huge stomach with her saying the ending tagline..."because, I'm pregnant."

I notice on 16 & Pregnant that up until the birth of their child, the mothers are generally living a carefree and easy life. They are preparing for their child to be born. They buy the crib, take breathing classes, beg their parents to understand, try to get their finances in order, and they genuinely believe that on or around that due date, a baby is popping out of their vagina.

The same approach should be taken when we pursue our dreams. If it takes nine months for a baby to be nursed and planned, what makes us think we can birth a dream overnight. Also, it is important that we set a time limit as to when our plan should be attained and achieved. If we can predict when a baby, a precious life, a human being, will enter the world, who are we to say our dreams can come and go whenever they want. We have to give them a due date.

Another thing I notice on the show, is that once that baby is born, it's a wrap! The mother is entirely consumed with every single detail concerning that baby. She rises with the baby, the goes to sleep with the baby, stays up long nights with the baby, feeds the baby, smiles at the baby, spoil the baby, bathe the baby, and so on. I have yet to see an episode where a mother gives birth to the baby and either leaves it at the hospital or takes it home only to collect dust on the shelf. That's simply negligent. For the ones that do ignore the needs of their baby, are generally the ones that live a life of regret, confusion, conflict, and emotional distress. They simply weren't ready for the baby. Then there are the mothers that decide to give their baby away because there is always someone else who will take a neglected dream, I mean baby, and care for it and nurture it as though it were their own because they failed to produce a baby of their own.

A lot of us are unfit mothers when it comes to the dreams and ideas placed in us. Some of us are 86 weeks pregnant, overdue, or we have neglected a baby we gave birth to four years ago. We can't find our baby.

And just like that Cosby episode, men can get pregnant too.

For you nosey people, I AM pregnant but there is no human being growing inside of me. Instead there are a myriad of ideas, poems, songs, events, websites, businesses, and dreams that I am preparing to birth and when they are born I will give them my full attention and parent them with the responsibility that God has entrusted to me.

How do you know if you're pregnant?

Unfortunately, a traditional pregnancy test won't help detect this kind of pregnancy. But here's a test: Answer yes or no to the following questions.

1. Do you see something and immediately think of ways that it can be done better?

2. Do you get ideas of a business or service that you or someone you know can provide?

3. Have you caught yourself daydreaming of being in the spotlight doing a hobby you love?

4. Do you ever say, "If I had ______, I would do______."?

5. Do you think of unconventional ideas that could benefit others around you?

6. Ever get frustrated with an issue effecting a large group of people to the point where you want to do something about it?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, well, congratulations, you're pregnant!

Just with a actual pregnancy there are side effects and risks involved with sharing your body with another human being.

1. You must watch what you eat and maintain a healthy lifestyle if you are going to produce a dream. You must have enough energy to complete the task.

2. Just as your outer appearance will change and be obvious to those around you, your inner man will change too if you get pregnant with a dream. If your outer man got pregnant, your stomach and body will change. If your inner man got pregnant, your attitude will change.

3. Those same friends you had before you got pregnant, may not be around as much after you give birth. They will not understand why you give so much attention to the bundle of joy that you are now responsible for.

4. The only people who truly understand what you are going through, are those who have pushed out dreams. They will know what is like and the pain they had to endure throughout and during the birthing process. They will understand the sacrifice. Surround yourself with people who have successfully carried and birthed a dream.

So, you're pregnant and the first question the baby daddy asks, though he is partially responsible, is, "Soooo, what are YOU gonna do?"

Imagine, God is your baby daddy and he allows the seed of a dream to be carried in you. Believe or not, he still gives you the option as to how you want to handle the responsibility. You can either:

1. Get an abortion. Kill the dream and forever wonder what life would have been like had the dream had been born. Who will the dream have affected, touched, saved, healed. What contribution could that dream had of made to the world.

2. Adoption. Give the dream to someone else and allow them to nurture and provide for that dream even though you created it.

3. Keep It. You may not know how in the world are you going provide and take care of this life altering dream, but the decision to keep the dream, care for it, and watch it grow before your eyes, will be the biggest joy and rewarding experience ever.

I'm keeping my babies! If anybody wants to ever babysit or buy my babies pampers and food, I am also looking for volunteers and investors. :-)

"Most ideas are stillborn and need the breath of life injected into them through definite plans of immediate action. The time to nurse an idea is at the time of its birth. Every minute it lives gives it a better chance of surviving." -Napoleon Hill, Author or Think and Grow rich

Lisa B.

www.liftedsoul.com

www.speakintothemic.com

www.youtube.com/lisabpoetry

Get To Know: Martin Russell

When I coached high school basketball, I always looked around for the tallest kids on campus. Working at an inner city school in San Diego, that also happened to be the most multi-cultural/racial school in the city, presented problems. Our school, Crawford High School, had incredible soccer, wrestling, and badmiton teams because of the abundance of Africans, Latinos and Asians, but our traditional sports teams, the ones dominated traditionally by Blacks had to work really hard and it didn't help that there really weren't any tall kids running around the campus. There were a few, but they liked soccer, not basketball. I remember one kid, a tall light skinned Black kid, that I asked to play and he responded that he didn't play ball. I told him I could teach him and I basically wanted his size on the court. That kid never accepted and it was okay with me, because he was a funny kid. I remember him being this really quirky guy that didn't stand out, he simply blended into whatever crowd he was around. That's the way Crawford was, well most of the time. The students there were kind of their own rainbow coalition in the middle of a city where the poverty line is 70,000 dollars and most of the people in our area were no where close to making that kind of money.

This morning I ran across a post on Facebook, by that kid/man, Martin Russell. He is beginning work on a documentary and if this is any indication of what is to come... Get To Know Martin Russell. Watch this:

It's Kind of A Funny Story: A review

The nuances of life become ritual and in adulthood, the experiences of the past are forgotten. This is what makes the coming of age story an attractive tome. In watching the uncomfortable maturation of the teen, or a child, the reality of being an adult is challenged. Often the reading of a book that deals with the struggles of an adult and their social issues can make the reader jaded and unforgiving. Adults no longer reach, struggle, or learn; they simply live. In their lives the mundane existence of routine becomes so monotonous that the adult no longer believes in the power of the mind. They no longer trust that a thought can influence the world. Inspiration can only be found in religion or financial success. In the teen self awareness, realization, is important and makes their lives a lot more complicated than they seem.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story has made the list of my favorite films. I sometimes think about the things that mother misses because she is no longer here. I wrote a poem titled, You Would Have Loved Ray. That poem forced me to analyze my mortality. This film, based on a novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini, shows the five day journey of Craig. Craig is a sixteen year old living in New York City. The standard items of youth are in place and could be seen as nothing more than pawns in the manipulation of the viewer: the cool best friend, his hot girlfriend (who Craig is attracted to), parents, and a sibling. What makes this film work though is that they are immediately removed from the equation by the director’s focus on Craig’s eventually admitted selfishness after he checks into a mental institution after considering suicide.

Get To Know: Rise Against

I have had countless discussions with artists about the responsibility of the creator of images and sounds. In these conversations, I have found the foundation for my understanding of the importance of art. I have also realized that my ideas about how art should be used, are very constrained. I think that art should serve a purpose and that the artists have to consider the audience, not to cater to the audience, but to promote discourse. The conversation does not have to be comfortable; on the contrary, it should be uncomfortable, but it should have a point. Right now, I can't say anything else about Rise Against. I need you to watch this video, amazing and powerful.

It's Complicated...Kind of a review

Okay that title is pretty vague and I will be the first to say that this blog does not get a crazy amount of traffic, so being vague is not a good thing. I love the blog: http://www.shadowandact.com/ . Not because the title derived from my favorite author, but because the blog has the most information on cinema that caters to a diverse audience. In other words, if I want a Black movie, or I want to know about a movie filmed, written and produced by those not of European ancestry, then I can find the info there. I tend to think I have a pretty good ear, for books, and an okay eye for film. What I have been looking for though from S&A is an article, or a summary on why is it that Black people can't create a film like It's Complicated. I've made similar comments after watching films like The Fountain, or The Notebook, but I won't rehash those discussions here. I will, but in a different way.

Writing is Just Different for a Black Man

Who will be the next Ralph Ellison?

A writer wakes up each morning, or at the end of the day, and begins crafting narratives. This is what writer's do. Traditionally, a writer would complete a manucript and purchase Writer's Market, or some other publication and begin looking for agents. I did this before and during graduate school. In graduate school I was told by my professors that I had what it took to become a "writer". What I failed to understand is that although they had christened me and given me all of the motivation I needed, my writing program failed to explain the realities involved in writing. They specifically failed to explain to me that a Black man writing is unlike any other person creating narratives.

The publishing industry used to be veiled in secrecy. A group of old White men decided the fate of a manuscript: slush pile or publication. Today, self publishing is as accessible as television stations to viewers. Basically anyone with a bit of savvy and computer literacy can put out a publication. I have had the "honor" of being signed by an agent, and having books "sold" under the premise that I rewrite. My problem was I didn't understand publishing and my MFA program did not explain to me that the writer makes concessions. I didn't want to change anything in the story. The editing I was okay with, but changing what happened with a character? Out of the question. Needless to say, my writing career with an agent, went south very fast and I did what most people do today, I self published.